Page 98 of Silver & Gold

CHAPTER 30

THE SECOND TIME CLIMBING the tower stairs had Seth’s legs positively on fire. Raider was well ahead of him of course. When he vanished onto the roof, panic unlocked a higher gear in Seth. He raced up the last of the steps so fast that he slammed into Raider at the top.

“Damn it, stay with me!” Seth barked as they both recovered their footing.

“For fuck’s sake, I’m right here—”

Raider cut off at the sound of shouting. They both looked to the cliff from which the waterfall spilled into the tower. From this angle, only a glint of gold was visible, but that voice—

“Nasrin!” Raider exclaimed. Scimitar flashing in his hand, he took off, racing for the steps cut into the cliff.

Seth bolted after him, desperation overriding his fatigue. His sword was a familiar weight at his back. His bracers hugged his forearms, and his right thigh was snugged with his knife sheath. His chakram and other gear hung ready at his utility belt. Somehow, the weapons didn’t feel as reassuring as usual.

Raider vanished onto the clifftop. Seconds later, Seth burst to the top of the steps, yanking his sword from its scabbard—

A blade flashed toward him. Seth deflected it and ducked under another. Spinning behind his opponent, he slashed low across a hamstring. The golden-armored figure dropped, but another of the Hammer lunged for Seth.

A quicksilver fist slammed into the combatant, knocking him out of Seth’s way and buying Seth a moment to glimpse the scene.

The Hammer was ranged along the riverbank, holding a line between Seth and Raider … and three figures, black robes trimmed with gold, forming a triangle around the Alchemist.

Nasrin, her gold filigree armor gleaming over her leather breastplate, gold studs flashing on the strips of her skirt, stood at a slight distance, her sword leveled at Tarjan. The djinn was pleading with her, but her face was set with determination. Soroush was nowhere to be seen.

Another blade flashed toward Seth. He ducked and charged into his attacker, ramming his shoulder into the golden-armored gut. Seth flipped the man over his shoulder.

Triggering his arcane glove, Seth tossed his sword into his left hand and yanked his chakram from his utility belt, intending to take Fadesh out. He didn’t get a chance to throw it, however. That damn arcane net that had taken him down outside Atri’s temple in Kastari came flying out of nowhere.

Seth dove aside, rolling clear of the net’s trajectory. He popped to his feet, hunting for the net launcher, unsure if another would follow. One of the Hammer threw down an arcane device. Single use only, it seemed. Dismissing the threat, Seth took aim with his chakram once again, but, once again, he didn’t throw it.

Nasrin had turned her attention from Tarjan to Raider, who was racing for Fadesh. Her quicksilver whip lashed out. It caught Raider around the throat and yanked him off his feet, hauling him toward her.

Raider lost his scimitar as he hit the ground hard. He froze when Nasrin’s sword pricked his throat above the whip’s coils.

Seth, having lurched in Raider’s direction, skidded to a halt. He readied himself to hurl the chakram at Nasrin.

“I can kill him before you can kill me!” Nasrin shouted. “Weapons down, Seth!”

Seth silently pleaded for Raider to use his quicksilver. He could grab that whip, grab her sword. He could kill her. Instead, he was trying to speak. He couldn’t though. Not around the whip’s tight coils.

Seth had no choice but to drop his weapons. Someone kicked the back of his leg. He slammed to his knees. A dozen swords pointed at him.

When Raider’s quicksilver retracted up his left arm, Nasrin sheathed her sword but left the whip around his throat.

“Fucking let him breathe, Nasrin!” Seth shouted, raging against his own helplessness.

The warrior woman grabbed something from her belt. Goddamn it, it was Seth’s shackles, which she must have recovered from the crashed palanquin. She clapped them onto Raider’s wrists. Grabbing the bar between the cuffs, Nasrin yanked Raider’s arms over his head and slammed them to the ground, locking him there with the shackles’ arcane gravity. Then the whip released—and Raider hauled in a desperate breath.

Seth glanced toward the river. The two arcanists flanking the statue’s back were trying to catch the sunlight through a sequence of crystals, aiming the refracted rays at the golden figure.

Seth was very sure, however, that their work had nothing to do with Fadesh’s activities. They were being kept busy—while he used an arcane torch to melt the golden hand clutched at the golden chest.

“Nasrin,” Seth called as the warrior stepped away from Raider’s bound form and drew her sword again. She stalked Seth’s way, her gray eyes steely. “Nasrin, listen to me—”

“No, you listen to me, you lying snake! Zarina must be able to protect herself and the Gold. I will make that possible for her, even if it means I have to kill both of you.”

“Goddamn it, Nasrin, the greatest threat to her and the Gold is right fucking there! Fadesh is Kahzir’s lackey!”

“Don’t be absurd,” Nasrin scoffed. “Fadesh is Zarina’s most trusted arcanist. He’s served her faithfully for ten years.”